Culture

Culture Def. - Beliefs or actions that define a group of people’s way of life. Includes traditions, values, behaviors and institutions, and other cultural traits such as celebrations. Material culture: things that people make (food, clothing, architecture, art, technology). Nonmaterial culture: ideas or beliefs people share religion, language, behavior & government.)

Cultural Hearth Def. – a place where important ideas begin and from which they spread to surrounding cultures. - Usually refers to areas in ancient times where major traits of human culture first developed. Examples: Southwest Asia – People first tamed and herded animals and grew crops from wild grasses.

Language Families Def. -a group of languages related by descent from a common ancestor. Examples – The English language is a part of the Germanic language family. Modern day German, East, and West Scandinavian languages are also a part of this language family.

Cultural Change Cultural Convergence: Cultural Divergence: Occurs when the skills, arts, ideas, habits, etc. of one culture come in contact with those of another culture. Increase with modern technology. Examples: US music video in Germany, popularity of Greek food in US. Cultural Divergence: The restriction of a culture from outside cultural influences. Governments attempt to limit cultural contact and spread of ideas. Usually restrict movement of people and ideas into and out of country. Example: Fall of Communism in late 1980’s

Cultural Diffusion Def. – process by which a cultural element is transmitted and integrated from one group or individual to another. Occurs through migration of people who take cultural traits with them. Occurs through trade networks and communication. Examples: McDonald’s in China Beattles impact on American music/culture in 1950’s & 1960’s

Occurence of Cultural Diffusion Most common ways of cultural diffusion: Immigration – People move into a country or area from another country or area. Emigration- People leave a country or area to live in other places. Technology: rapidly exposes people to other cultures around the world. “globalization” of cultures.

Settlement Patterns Culture spreads through settlement patterns. Settlement: where people live. Urbanization – The growth of city populations. The worlds urban centers are becoming modern cultural hearths. Example – New York City is 36% foreign with over 170 languages spoken. Rural – Countryside populations.

Population Patterns Population Density Population Growth Average number of people that live in a square mile. Factors Natural obstacles Arable Land Population Growth World population growth is uneven. Birth rate Death rate Technology Effects Famine, disease, natural resource depletion.